Can I Exercise With a Herniated Disc? | Mira Mesa, CA

Yes, you can often exercise with a herniated disc.

What Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC doesn't recommend is using pain as a challenge and seeing how much you can push through.

That's where a lot of active patients get themselves into trouble.

They've exercised for years. Maybe they lift weights four or five days a week, run, golf, surf, cycle or play a sport. Then their back goes out or they develop sciatica, an MRI shows a herniated disc, and suddenly they don't know what they're supposed to do.

Some stop everything because they're afraid of damaging the disc further.

Others do exactly the opposite.

They keep training normally even though their symptoms are clearly changing. What started as an ache in the lower back is now running into the glute. A week later it's in the calf. Their foot starts tingling during certain exercises, but they keep going because they don't want to “baby” the injury.

After more than 22 years treating disc injuries and sciatica, Dr. Boelk doesn't think either approach makes much sense.

The question isn't simply whether exercise is allowed.

The better question is: what happens when you exercise?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I've Even Gotten Back to Lifting Weights!”

“Because of the pain, I hadn’t exercised in months.”

“Last year, I spent three months constantly going back and forth between doctor’s appointments and urgent care. The pain was unbearable—I was taking medication regularly just to get through the day. Getting out of bed was excruciating, and walking or standing felt like torture. Every step filled me with dread.

In December, my doctor finally ordered an MRI. That’s when I learned I had an extruded disc pressing on my L5 nerve, which affects the leg and foot. My doctor scheduled two follow-up appointments: one for pain management (spinal injections), and another to evaluate me for surgery.

Then I discovered spinal decompression therapy. I was thrilled to find a non-invasive alternative. I never ended up needing either of those appointments.

Now, I’m walking regularly, standing up straight—something I couldn’t do before. When I first sought help, I was so hunched over that I had to use a cane just to move forward. Because of the pain, I hadn’t exercised in months. But now, I’m doing a program called 75 hard which requires not one but 2 45-minute workouts per day, and I've even gotten back to lifting weights!

I’m so thankful I found this place. It’s conveniently located near my work, which makes it easy to fit sessions into my lunch break. Dr. Boelk and the staff are incredibly friendly and polite—it’s always a pleasure to come in.

The environment is so relaxing that I look forward to each visit. I truly thank God for leading me to this alternative. It’s made such a difference in my life.”

— Amanda, San Diego, CA

Amanda's story is important for a couple of reasons.

She had a significant disc injury. At one point, walking and standing were difficult and she wasn't exercising at all. Later, she was able to return to lifting weights and a very active exercise program.

The lesson isn't that everyone with an extruded disc should go lift weights.

It's that an MRI showing a disc injury doesn't necessarily mean your active life is over.

There may be a period where you need to change quite a bit. Then, as things improve, you work your way back.

What Dr. Boelk Wants to Know About Your Workout

If you tell Dr. Boelk that exercising hurts, he's going to ask what you mean.

A little soreness in the lower back after activity is different from starting a workout with back pain and finishing it with pain running into your foot.

So is numbness.

So is weakness.

Maybe you're doing a set of squats and the back feels tight but nothing else happens.

Or maybe every time you squat, you feel pain in the glute followed by tingling down the leg.

Those are different conversations.

The same applies to what happens after the workout.

Some patients feel pretty good while they're exercising and pay for it several hours later. Others wake up the next morning significantly worse.

That counts too.

Dr. Boelk wants to know what happens during the exercise, after the exercise and the following day.

If You're Guessing About What You Should Be Doing, Come In and Ask

If you're in Mira Mesa or the surrounding San Diego area and have a herniated disc, you can sit down with Dr. Boelk for a No-Charge, No-Obligation Consultation.

Bring your MRI if you have one.

If you don't have an MRI yet, that's okay.

You aren't coming in because you've already decided to start spinal decompression. Dr. Boelk hasn't decided that you're a candidate either.

The first step is figuring out what you're dealing with.

During the consultation, Dr. Boelk can:

• Go through how the injury happened.

• Discuss what you were doing before the problem started.

• Review what you're currently doing for exercise.

• Talk about which movements aggravate the symptoms.

• Discuss any pain traveling into the glute or leg.

• Review numbness, tingling, burning or weakness.

• Go over treatments and exercises you've already tried.

• Review your actual MRI images and report, if available.

• Compare the MRI with what you're actually experiencing.

• Discuss whether further examination or imaging may be appropriate.

• Determine whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be an option.

• Tell you if he doesn't think you're a candidate.

• Talk with you about what you're trying to get back to.

There is no charge for the consultation and no obligation to begin treatment.

Dr. Boelk performs these consultations himself while also treating his existing patients, so the office can only set aside a limited number during the clinic schedule.

Call 619-298-0800 and ask for the next available No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

“Do I Have to Stop Squatting and Deadlifting?”

Not necessarily.

Dr. Boelk lifts this question out of the theoretical pretty quickly.

What happens when you squat?

What happens when you deadlift?

How much weight are you using?

Where are your symptoms before the set, and where are they afterward?

If you're doing a movement comfortably and there are no neurological symptoms, that's one situation.

If you're loading the spine heavily and every set sends pain farther down your leg, that's another.

Squats and deadlifts aren't inherently bad exercises. But there can absolutely be a period during a disc injury where backing off the load or changing the exercise makes sense.

That doesn't mean forever.

Active patients sometimes hear “don't do that right now” as “you'll never do that again.”

Those are not the same thing.

Dr. Boelk's goal isn't to make someone afraid of their back. It's to get them through the irritated stage without repeatedly setting themselves back, then gradually get them doing more again when appropriate.

Be Careful With the Hamstring You Can Never Seem to Stretch Out

This is another thing Dr. Boelk sees quite a bit.

A patient says the back of one leg is unbelievably tight, so they've been stretching the hamstring several times a day.

But it never really gets better.

Then Dr. Boelk asks what the stretch feels like.

“Well, sometimes it burns down the leg.”

Or:

“I can feel it all the way into my foot.”

That's not something to casually dismiss as a tight hamstring.

If a nerve is irritated, patients can interpret some of those sensations as muscular tightness. Aggressively stretching it over and over may not be helping.

A normal stretch should feel like a stretch.

If you're reproducing shooting pain, burning, tingling or numbness farther down the leg every time you do it, Dr. Boelk wants to know about that.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “It Really Helps Keep Me in My Active Life”

“I will not go to anyone else for back treatment.”

“I travel from the UK to see Dr Boelk and his wonderful team . I have 3 bulging disc and one is touching the nerve. I have the spinal decompression treatment and it really helps keep me in my active life . I will not go to anyone else for back treatment, this place is number one and they genuinely care about their patients.”

— Lisa S., United Kingdom

That phrase—“my active life”—is really what matters to most of the people Dr. Boelk sees.

One patient wants to get back under a barbell.

Another couldn't care less about a gym. They want to golf again.

Someone else wants to surf, hike, ride a bike or get through a full workday without their leg bothering them.

And for some people the goal is much simpler: walk normally, sleep comfortably and be able to bend over without worrying about what happens next.

That's why Dr. Boelk asks what you want to get back to.

The goal isn't just less pain.

It's getting your function back.

You Don't Have to Test Your Back Every Day

This can be one of the hardest things for active people.

You feel better for two days, so you test the exercise that hurt you.

It hurts again.

You back off for another couple of days.

Then you test it again.

Three weeks later you've irritated the same thing six times.

Dr. Boelk would rather see someone temporarily modify an exercise and make steady progress than continually prove that they're still not ready for it.

There's nothing wrong with being motivated to get back.

But recovery isn't always faster because you push harder.

Walking Is Usually Worth Discussing Too

Patients often think of exercise as something that happens in a gym.

Walking matters.

For many people with disc injuries, walking is comfortable and gives them a way to stay active while they're recovering.

But again, watch what your body does.

If you can walk 20 or 30 minutes and feel good, that's useful.

If your leg starts burning after seven minutes and the foot becomes numb by ten, that's useful too.

Dr. Boelk doesn't give every patient an arbitrary walking goal.

He wants to know what you're currently able to tolerate and whether that tolerance is getting better or worse.

Don't Push Through Increasing Weakness

This is where the advice changes.

Pain can fluctuate with a herniated disc.

Increasing weakness is something Dr. Boelk takes seriously.

If you're exercising and suddenly one leg doesn't feel as strong as the other, mention it.

If you're having trouble lifting the front of the foot, pushing off through the foot, walking on your heels or toes, or your foot starts slapping the ground, don't simply keep training harder and hope it strengthens.

Persistent or increasing numbness also deserves attention.

Most herniated discs aren't emergencies. Rapidly progressing weakness, new bowel or bladder dysfunction, difficulty urinating, or numbness around the groin or saddle region requires prompt medical evaluation rather than waiting for a routine spinal decompression consultation.

Where Does Spinal Decompression Fit Into This?

Not everybody with a herniated disc needs Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

And not everybody is a candidate.

Dr. Boelk evaluates patients with lumbar disc bulges and herniations, degenerative disc disease, disc-related sciatica, foraminal narrowing, selected cases of spinal stenosis and other disc-related conditions.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego uses the DRX9000 exclusively.

But before Dr. Boelk recommends treatment, he wants to know whether the symptoms, examination and imaging actually fit together.

He also needs to know whether decompression is safe for that patient.

Significant osteoporosis, an unhealed fracture, unstable spondylolisthesis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, pregnancy for lumbar decompression, certain malignancies and other medical or structural conditions may make someone inappropriate for treatment.

Previous spinal surgery needs to be reviewed carefully as well, especially when there is fusion or metal hardware at the level that would need treatment.

★ Sometimes the Answer Is No

Jeff J. came all the way from Tucson to meet with Dr. Boelk about his back.

He didn't become a spinal decompression patient.

“We both determined that surgery was my only option to correct my back issues.”

“I found this terrific practice on social media. I followed up and did my own research so I decided to pay them a visit. The place is clean, well organized and run by a very efficient receptionist. I met with the doctor and after a honest and forthright conversation, we both determined that surgery was my only option to correct my back issues. I will return as a customer when the time is right.”

— Jeff J., Tucson, AZ

That's an important part of how Dr. Boelk approaches these cases.

The consultation isn't a formality before treatment.

It's where he decides whether he thinks he should treat you at all.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC

Dr. Boelk has worked with disc injuries, sciatica and Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression for more than 22 years and has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments.

• Doctor of Chiropractic

• Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor

• Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist (PPSC)

• Founder, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy

• Trains other doctors in spinal decompression protocols and techniques

• Founding Member, American Spinal Decompression Society

• Member, International Disc Education Association

• California X-Ray Radiation Supervisor & Operator

He also understands this question from the other side of the table.

Dr. Boelk suffered an L5 compression fracture when he was 16 and later dealt with disc injuries and sciatica himself. He continues to surf, play hockey and exercise.

So he understands why an active patient wants more than “don't do anything.”

He also understands why continuing to beat up an irritated disc isn't a great plan.

The goal is to find the middle ground that gets you moving in the right direction.

So, Should You Exercise With a Herniated Disc?

For many people, yes.

But you may need to change the way you're exercising for a period of time.

Maybe that means less weight.

Maybe a particular movement comes out temporarily.

Maybe walking and other activities feel good and can stay in.

Maybe your symptoms are telling you that you need to get the disc evaluated before continuing to push it.

There's no prize for resting longer than necessary.

There's also no prize for turning a manageable injury into a three-month flare because you refused to change your workout.

If you're not sure which side of that line you're on, come in and ask.

Your No-Charge Consultation includes:

• One-on-one time with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC

• Review of your injury and symptoms

• Discussion of what you're currently doing for exercise

• Review of movements that bother you

• Discussion of any sciatica, numbness, tingling or weakness

• Review of treatment and exercises you've already tried

• Review of your actual MRI images and report, if available

• Comparison of the MRI findings with your symptoms

• Discussion of whether additional examination or imaging may be appropriate

• An assessment of whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be an option

• An honest answer if Dr. Boelk doesn't believe you're a candidate

• Time to talk about getting back to the activities that matter to you

There is no charge and no obligation to begin treatment.

You don't need an MRI to schedule. If you have one, bring the actual images and report.

Dr. Boelk personally performs these consultations while continuing to treat his existing patients, so only a limited number can be set aside during the clinic schedule.

Call 619-298-0800

Ask for the next available No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego
5095 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92123

619-298-0800
SanDiegoBackCare.com

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